Ninewa chieftains protest Peshmerga, Asayesh presence

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Nearly 1,000 chieftains and notables in Ninewa on Tuesday took to the street to demonstrate against the presence of the Peshmerga and Asayesh (Kurdish) forces in their province. The demonstrators raised banners, expressing their support for the new local government and condemning the Peshmerga and Asayesh forces’ banning of Ninewa Governor Athil al-Nujeifi from entering Basheeqa district to attend an international sports event. On Friday (May 8), a police source in Ninewa told IraqiNews.com news agency that Peshmerga forces prevented Governor Nujeifi from crossing a checkpoint on his way to Basheeqa to participate in a sports festival. Sources from the festival said that the forces had also prevented Arab and foreign delegations from reaching the location of the festival, forcing them to put off the event. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. SS (P) 1